Spinach and cheese beer bread

A flavourful, savory quick loaf!

We love this bread with a simple salad for lunch; slices are great as-is or toasted and spread with a little butter or cream cheese. And yesterday I discovered that grilled cheese sandwiches made with this bread are outstanding; so are croutons. Choose a style of beer that you like, knowing the more intense the flavour, the more you will taste it in the bread. You can also use a mixture of 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) of water mixed with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of cider vinegar instead of the beer, if you prefer. Use your favourite non-dairy butter and cheese for a vegan version if you like. Note the very specific pan size given below; it is the best size (learn more via this helpful chart) for this volume of dough, to get a nicely-proportioned loaf. If you’re a fan of quick, savory loaves like this, you might also enjoy my upside-down Italian pan bread.

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese (I use a blend of Mozzarella, Swiss and Romano), divided
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, washed and chopped small
• 1 1/2 cups (355 mL) beer
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch (20.2 x 10.2 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper; set aside.
• Sauté the garlic in the 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan placed over medium heat. Stir constantly until garlic has softened; remove from heat and set aside.
• Place the flour in a large bowl. Sprinkle baking powder, salt and sugar over top and stir to blend.
• Remove 2 tablespoons of the cheese and set aside. Add the majority of the cheese and the chopped spinach to the flour mixture; toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle garlic and the butter it was sautéed in) over top.
• Pour in the beer and mix just until no dry spots remain (do not overmix).
• Transfer bread dough to the prepared pan, gently smoothing top with a spatula or spoon. Pour the melted butter over top. Bake for 55-60 minutes, sprinkling with reserved cheese at the 45 minute mark.
• The bread is cooked when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, or the interior temperature measures 200F with an instant-read thermometer.

Makes 1 loaf.